Because of my interest in Hoppes family history, I’ve met quite a few individuals having my surname. But during the first half of my life, I hardly ever met anyone named Hoppes except for my immediate family and relatives we regularly visited. But even then there weren’t many relatives. The only Hoppeses I remember meeting as a youth were my maiden cousin Marie Hoppes, a grade school teacher living in Allentown, PA and the two small families of my grandfather’s only brother, Charlie Hoppes and his son Mark, who jointly operated a riding stable and dairy near the old Wash Hoppes homestead in East Penn Township, Carbon County, PA. I knew that there were quite a few Hoppes families living in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County, PA, but I had never met any of them. On one occasion I did see an individual named Hoppes, who was a contestant on Groucho Marx’ television show “You Bet Your Life” and who actually said the “secret word” causing a duck to descend bringing him money. Another time I saw a picture of a young man from eastern Pennsylvania by the name of Hoppes who made Time Magazine because he was leading some sort of strange religious sect. But, in general, with these few exceptions I was beginning to believe that I might never meet a real Hoppes face to face.
Certainly the brothers
Georg and Michael Happes were well acquainted, even being the best of friends. They had lived together south of
Schoenau/Odenwald on a farm owned by Georg’s father-in-law, Heinrich Kern. But when they left Rotterdam, Holland in 1751 on
two different ships bound for America, it was uncertain they’d ever see each other
again. Hoppes family tradition preserves the
“two ship” story, but has one of them landing at Charleston, SC or Wilmington,
SC. Had this been the case, it is doubtful if
the brothers would ever have seen each other again. Fortunately,
we know that Georg arrived in Philadelphia aboard the Queen of Denmark in October
1751, and from Moravian Church records that he and his family became indentured servants
in Pennsylvania to pay for their passage. It
also is known that his brother Michael’s oldest son was born in Oley Township, Berks
County, Pa in 1753. But did the two brothers
ever meet again after arriving in Pennsylvania? Thanks
to data supplied to me by Denise Kern, your Hoppesgenerations hostess, it appears they
lived in the same general area for several years. Denise
found a church record from the Quitopahilla Hill Church
near Annville in Lebanon County, PA, that indicates that Georg Happes and his wife were
sponsors at a baptism that occurred on September 2, 1753.
Because Oley is a few miles east of Reading, PA and Annville a few miles
west of Lebanon on a main route linking these two centers of trade only 35 miles apart, it
appears that Georg and Michael must have known about the daily life of both families. (Some hard feelings may have developed between
them, however, because George was indentured and Michael free.)
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Reunion of sons of 1. Georg Happes and his brother, 2.
Michael Happes
The sons of 1. Georg Happes were still living along Deep Creek in Surry County, NC when Georg Happes made his last will and testament on February 13, 1790. (See the Hoppesgenerations website publication Wills, Estates, Property Settlements.) One of the three brothers 1.2 John Hoppes continued to live along Deep Creek after his older brother 1.1 George Hoppes moved into the new State of Ohio and his younger brother 1.3 Daniel Hoppes into the mountains of Ashe County in western North Carolina. Although it seems unlikely that John and George Hoppes ever saw each other again, John probably was reunited with his brother Daniel on several occasions, especially in the early 1800’s when Daniel remained in contact with Moravian preachers from Salem, NC.
It appears unlikely that any of the eight sons of Georg and Michael Hoppes were ever reunited except when Jacob returned to Pennsylvania. Moreover, few of their sons were likely to have met their first cousins at unexpected times. Most of the eight families either lived in confined mountainous regions or were free to move westward into the vast interior of the emerging nation. One exception was that Jacob’s oldest son Jacob settled in the Oley, PA area not far from his first cousins in Penn Township. Another possible exception is that a number of Adam Hoppes’ sons roamed the mountains of western North Carolina and might have come in contact with some of Daniel Hoppes’ sons before the pronunciation of the Hoppes surname gradually changed to Hoppers.
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Antebellum encounters
The eight sons of Georg and Michael Hoppes had a total of 29 sons who reached maturity and at least 96 grandsons. In 1830, the United States had a population of about 13 million people (11 million free, 2 million slave). Today there are approximately ten times as many Hoppes families in the United States as in 1830, but the total population of the U. S. has grown by a factor of 20. By any measure, the chance of meeting an unknown individual named Hoppes (or a variation of our surname) is slim, indeed.
There is little information that documents any encounters between different parts of the Hoppes family prior to the Civil War. The following data indicate the whereabouts of each of the 29 sons of the eight main lines of our Hoppes lineage:
112 Daniel Hoppes (1784 – 1855): Moved to Fayette County, OH; then Madison, IN.
113 George Hoppes (1786 – 1843): Moved to Meigs County, OH.
114 Henry Hoppes (1799 - >1870): Moved to Madison Co., OH, then NE; then back.
115 Jacob Hoppes (1804 – 1877): Moved to Jay County, IN.
121 George Hoppers (1791 - >1842): Moved to Madison County, TN.
123 Edward Hoppers (1795 – ?): Moved to Lumpkin County, GA.
131 John Hoppers (1790 – 1857): Stayed in Ashe County, NC.
132 Abraham Hoppers (1798->1816): Took trip west to IN with Fender family.
133 Jacob Hoppers (c1802 – 1896): Stayed in Ashe County, NC.
211 Jacob Hoppes (c1779 – 1844): Stayed in West Penn Twp., Schuylkill Co., PA.
212 Michael Hoppes (1781 – 1857): Stayed in West Penn Twp., Schuylkill Co., PA.
213 Daniel Hoppes (c1784 – c1822): Moved to Fairfield, Co., OH with sister about 1815.
214 Christian Hoppes (1787 – 1856): Stayed in West Penn Twp., Schuylkill Co., PA.
215 David Hoppes (1796 – 1881): Stayed in West Penn Twp., Schuylkill Co., PA.
216 John Hoppes (c1797 – 1880): Moved to Clayton Co., IA by 1850; there in 1860.
231 Adam Hoppes (1790 – 1883): Lived in western NC; died in Mitchell Co., NC.
232 Samuel Hoppes (c1797 – c1868): Lived in western NC; died in Madison Co., NC.
233 Jacob Hoppes (c1800 - >1850): Moved from western NC to Crittenden Co., AK.
234 John Hoppes (1802 - >1880): Lived in western NC; died in Mc Dowell Co., NC.
235 George Hoppes (1804 - >1850): Moved from western NC to eastern TN.
236 Michael Hoppes (1806 – ?): Moved from western NC to central TN.
241 Jacob Hoppes (c1786 – c1850): Moved from Northampton Co., PA to Berks Co., PA.
242 Michael Hoppes (c1789 – 1871): Moved from Luzerne Co., PA to Lycoming Co., PA.
243 John Hoppes (1790 – 1863): Stayed in Luzerne County, PA.
244 George Hoppes (c1804 – 1854): Stayed in Luzerne County, PA.
252 Henry Hoppess (1798 – 1851): Stayed primarily in Wythe County, VA.
261 William Hoppis (c1802 - >1880): Moved to Philips Co., AR; Hickory, MO; then TX.
262 Michael Hoppis (1814 – 1887): Moved from Scioto Co., OH to Newton Co., AR.
The most likely occasions on which different branches of the Hoppes family encountered each other prior to the Civil War are summarized below:
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2111 Michael Hoppes (1804 – 1896) and 2135
Solomon Hoppes (1816 – 1900)
Michael Hoppes was born Penn Township, Northampton County, PA in 1804 and moved to Seneca County, OH about 1836, where he became a successful farmer. His first cousin Solomon Hoppes also was born in (West) Penn Township, then Schuylkill County, PA, but his parents moved to Fairfield County, OH shortly after his birth. When he was about six years old, Solomon’s father Daniel died, and Solomon became the ward of John Feller and Samuel Weiser. At the age of 18, he moved west into Seneca County, OH as one of the first settlers of Adams Township. During the Toledo War (1835 – 1837), Solomon served in the Ohio militia, in what became the only War in US history in which the militia of two states (Ohio and Michigan) marched against each other over a territorial dispute. Fortunately, the two armies got lost in swamps near Perrysburg, OH for about a week, and casualties were avoided when they were unable to find each other. Eventually, the dispute was settled by the U. S. Congress, with Ohio being awarded the Toledo area and Michigan the Upper Peninsula. After the Toledo War, both Solomon Hoppes and Michael Hoppes lived in Adams Township, Seneca County. Prior to 1850, however, Solomon moved west to join his brother Christian in Kosciusko, County, IN.
� Other Possibilities
� 1844/5 trip of 252 Henry Hoppess (1798 –
1851)
During the winter of 1844/5, Henry Hoppess of Wythe County, VA traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Arkansas to retrieve a slave for a client. Henry Hoppes probably began the river portion of his journey at or near Portsmouth, OH, the seat of Scioto County, OH, where his first cousin 262 Michael Hoppis was residing. It is entirely possible that they met one another at this time or upon Henry’s return voyage. The venture had a happy ending for Henry Hoppess and, because of the related lawsuit Supreme Court of Ohio vs Hoppess, he was assured of a place in the history of slavery in the United States. One brief synopsis of this case reported that:
On the morning of the 21st
of January, 1845, one Henry Hoppess, having in charge the colored man Samuel Watson,
arrived at Cincinnati on the steamer Ohio Belle. Shortly
after the boat was made fast to the shore, Watson was missing. In the evening he was found
by Hoppess upon the landing: not attempting, and probably not thinking of escape. He was seized, lodged in the Watch House, and on
the following morning taken before a Magistrate, in order to obtain a certificate for his
removal as a fugitive from service under the Act of Congress of 1793.
� 1850 trip of 1116 Henry Hoppes (1831 – 1915) to California
� Exploratory 1850’s trip of 114 Henry
Hoppes (1799 – >1870) to Nebraska via Iowa
Although 216 John Hoppes and his family were living in Clayton County, IA at this time, Henry Hoppes’ route through Iowa probably was too far south to meet them.
� 1855 wedding of 1216 Samuel Hoppers (c1834 – 1863) in Lamar County, TX
During the War Between the States, at least 15 Hoppes boys fought for the Confederate States of America and over twice that number for the Union. Tragically, the War served as a magnet to draw individuals from different branches of the Hoppes family into close proximately, albeit briefly. Although there is no documentation that family members from opposing sides of the conflict ever met each other in battle, our website publication Military Records does indicate that a number of individuals from different parts of the family jointly participated in some of the most historic battles and events of the War. These include:
� Battle of Shiloh, TN
April 6-7, 1862
Confederate:
1215 George Hoppers Union:
2631 John Hoppes
Confederate: 1333 J. J. Hoppers & 1334 John Hoppers Union: 21413 Elias Hoppes
Confederate: 2522 J. H. Hoppess Union: 2631 John Hoppes
Confederate: 2341 Jonathan Hoppes Union: 2141 Solomon Hoppes & sons
Union:
11231 Jasper Hoppes, 241212 William G. Hoppes, & 2442 Jonas B. Hoppes
Union: 11233 Daniel Hoppes, 2424 John Hoppes, & 2443 George W. Hoppes
� Surrender at Appomattox Court House April 7-8, 1865
Confederate:
23232 W. H. C. Hoppes Union: 21413 Elias Hoppes
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Postbellum encounters
After the Civil War, many Hoppes families made a gradual transition from farming to living in towns and cities. Naturally, this trend increased the probability that individuals from completely different branches of the family might meet each other face to face. Newspapers, advertisements, directories, and word-of-mouth in towns and cities increased one’s awareness that other individuals with the same (or a similar surname) were living in the immediate vicinity. The larger the urban center, the more likely that long-forgotten relatives might meet. Two examples are provided below.
Clearly, this Hoppers/Hoppes family is the same one that was enumerated in Van Meter Township, Dallas County, IA in the 1880 Census as:
George Hoppers 29 NC *1851
Martha (Burton) Hoppers 25 MO (Gentry Co) *1855
Mary Hoppers 7 IA
Wesley Hoppers 5 IA
Edward Hoppers 2 IA
Wilbur Hoppers 6/12 IA (DEC1879)
21243 Franklin Michael Hoppes was born on February 8, 1857, in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County, PA. His father Joseph Hoppes moved to Wolf Creek, IN shortly thereafter, but died of tuberculosis in 1861 when his son Frank was less than four years old. Frank’s mother then married Richard Gilson on February 22, 1863, and he was raised in the Gilson family, actually being enumerated as a Gilson in the 1870 Census of Marshall County, IN. After his mother died, Frank moved to Fayette County, IA in 1880 and then to Long Island, Phillips County, KS in 1884, receiving title to 160 acres there in 1892 under the Federal Homestead Act. In the summers of 1899 and 1900, Frank Hoppes rented out his farm and, with the encouragement of his sons Verne and Truman, bought a new merry-go-round, five wagons, and a team of horses and then toured Kansas and Nebraska with it, selling rides at five cents each. According to a booklet about their Hoppes family ancestors prepared by Frank’s grandson Neil Franklin Hoppes born in Long Island, KS in 1917: The first year they went across Nebraska. They made enough money to pay for the “wheel” and to buy another farm. About 1905, Frank Hoppes and his wife Cora (Pond) Hoppes moved to Kansas City, KS to provide better educational opportunities for their young son Melvin, then six-years old. There they built a big house on Hiawatha Street in Quindaro. Five years later, another Hoppes family moved to Kansas City, KS. In the spring of 1910, 11262 Marcus Hoppes decided to retire from active farm life. He sold most of his personal property at public auction and moved to Kansas City, KS, where he bought a half interest in a grocery store and meat market. After a year or so, Marcus tired of life in the big city, sold his interest in the business back to his partner, and gave up the store. Like his distant cousin Marcus, Frank Hoppes also had difficulty leaving farm life completely behind and returned to Phillips County during the summers where he operated his thrashing equipment and participated in farming activities with his sons Verne and Truman. It seems likely that two such prominent individuals as Frank and Marcus Hoppes would have met each other while living in Kansas City, but it seems equally unlikely that they could have figured out how they were related.
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Tales involving the superstar 21364 John J. Hoppes
(1857 – 1845)
From the Hoppessgenerations publication, Books About The History Of The Hoppes/Hoppers Family, it is evident that the industrialist 21364 John J. Hoppes of Springfield, OH, received a week-long visit from his distant cousin 112625 Lester C. Hoppes of Corbin, KS. They shared stories about their families but failed to determine how they were related. It also is likely that John J. Hoppes met 2423.S Maria B. Hoppes and her son 24231 Garrett Linderman Hoppes, perhaps when John J. Hoppes stayed at the Eagle Hotel in Bethlehem, PA. What is less well known, however, is that John J. Hoppes developed a relationship with some of the prosperous Hoppes farmers from Fayette County, OH. They admired his success as a prominent businessman and public figure. He eyed their wealth. As the story is related by Ed Hoppes of Springfield, OH, according to his relatives in Fayette County, they invested their cash savings in John J. Hoppes’ business and, when times got tough, lost their entire investment.
By Harry Hoppes Valentine’s Day 2002